"This is how you Waltz" said my Dad, as he taught how to dance in my living room. My dad and I would always dance as my mom watched us, she could barely imagine that this is how I would dance "The Father-Daughter Dance" on the night of my Quinceanera. My Mom's eyes would fill up with tears at just the thought that soon I would no longer be their "Little" girl.
I am very proud to be Latina and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
A special moment in every little Latina girl's life is of course their Quinceanera. I have dreamt of my Quinceanera since the day my parents explained to me what it meant.

To have a Quincanera is to have the traditional mass to celebrate and thank God for allowing you to reach your fifthteen year, well and healthy. Most girls just dream about having a Quinceanera, but it never becomes reality. Their dreams never come true because either their parents couldn't afford one or they got pregnant and the whole point of celebrating a Quinceanera is to let everyone know that you have made it to your fifthteenth year without losing your virginity.

Once I attend my traditional mass I must thank God and the Virigin Mary for allowing me to follow in her foot-steps. During the mass the padrinos have to bring up the traditional gifts so that they can be blessed by the priest. Traditional Quinceanera gifts are Jewelry like a ring, bracelet, earrings, and a necklace. After I receive my gifts my parents will present me to the society as a young lady and no longer a little girl. The mass is very important to have in any Quinceanera, because without God you wouldn't be where your at today.
The reception also plays an important role. First of all, you have all of your closest friends there with you to help make your special day just that much more special than it already is. You must have food of course to keep everyone's energy up for the dance until 2 a.m., and last but not least you have your parents who helped make your dream become a reality and all of your family to help celebrate with you.
Your court and you must perform the waltz that you have been practing for months. Then your father must give you your last doll, which is a symbol of you leaving your childhood. After that your dad must slip on your new heels, and that is a symbol that now you are allowed to wear heels, make-up, have a boyfriend, and go out. Once you have your new heels on then your father and you dance "The Father-Daughter Dance".
After you have been given your last doll and have your heels on, that’s when the dance starts. Most girls have a band or some have DJ's, but some have both. Everybody asks the Quinceanera to dance with them, and they might dance around the dance-floor 4 or 5 times until they wear her out.
About half way through the dance, they will call everyone off the dance-floor to make a toast to the Quinceanera and cut the cake, then after that it’s back to the dance-floor to party until you can't anymore.
Every young teenage girl dreams of a Quinceanera, but my dream will become a reality thanks to my parents who I can tell are more and more proud of me each and every day.